Dalila Isiminger
According to official Imperial records, Lady Inquisitor Dalila Isiminger, Ordo Hereticus, died in action. She was killed in the purge of the Hive World Daendotha, her own home planet, slain in battle by the heretical Daendothan Witch-Cults. Her final order before her demise was to consign the planet to holy Exterminatus, even while she lay dying in the streets that she had once called home. With that order the planet was scoured of life, the psyker-cult eradicated, and her body vaporized in the thermonuclear hellfire of the cyclonic torpedoes. Dalila went down in history as a martyr, dying as she had lived, purging the heretic from the Imperium. If only they had known the truth. Dalila despised the Imperium and it's corrupt ways, hated it with every bone in her body. She faked her death on that planet, only as a means to finally disappear so she might pursue her true goal, to free the Imperium of Man from itself. Joining the shadowy organization known as the Vitores Tenebras, Dalila became the Tenebrous One of the Animus Branch, devoting herself to undermining the Imperium through espionage, politics, and economics. Operating under the name Magister, Dalila fights from behind the scenes, using both her formidable influence and powerful telepathic abilities to slowly destroy the Vitores' enemies from within. History The Black Ship Truth be told, Dalila remembers very little of her childhood, knowing only that she was born on the Hive World of Daendotha, but she never forgot the Black Ship. She was only six years old when she was taken from her homeworld, placed aboard the Black Ship Viator in a cavernous psi-hold, surrounded by fellow psykers. It was an extremely traumatic experience for such a young child, made only more terrifying by her latent telepathic abilities allowing her to feel the collective despair of not just the psykers around her, but of every psyker that had traveled in this cursed vessel. It was the first time Dalila experienced the Imperium's cruelty, and it wouldn't be the last. When the Viator ''finally did arrive at Terra, Dalila would have faced the fate of being sacrificed to the Golden Throne if it were not for the timely intervention of Lord Inquisitor Bardac Rull, a powerful member of the Ordo Hereticus who had been traveling on the Black Ship. The Inquisitor instead vouched that she be sent to the Scholastica Psykana, so that her powers might be harnessed for the betterment of the Imperium. With that simple order, the Lord Inquisitor saved Dalila's life, if only that were the true reason for his intervention. In the years that followed Dalila was sent to a Psykana facillity on Terra, where she was tested for psychic strength and to her mentor's delight registered on the Delta Level. For five years she was trained in the use of her innate telepathic abilities, learning how to read the minds of others like an open book or even dominate their minds completely. However during her training she always seemed to be singled out, as if she was being specially prepared for something, although she certainly didn't mind the distinction. Eventually her suspicions were confirmed when she was approached after her fifth year of training by Lord Inquisitor Rull, the same man who had saved her all those years ago. The Inquisitor offered to complete her training and give her a place in his retinue, but only if she was to serve him as his Acolyte. Feeling she owed a debt to Rull, Dalila immediately agreed to his terms, for what was the worst that could happen? Interrogator The Vitores Tenebras At Present Personality Dalila is best characterized by a fierce sense of determination, as once she has a goal in mind there is nothing she won't do to see that goal completed. Her current goal in life is simple, she wants to save the galaxy, starting with the Imperium. To her, the Imperium represents so much wasted potential, a great empire laid low by superstition and chained by stagnating traditions. When she still served the Inquisition Dalila was a recongregationist, believing that she could save the Imperium from itself by working within it, but as she looks back she remembers what a fool she was. Dalila no longer wants to save the Imperium, she wants to destroy it, to it's foundations to ash so that mankind might finally be free of it's corruption. While some might say that the destruction of such a vast empire is impossible, as greater threats than the Vitores Tenebras have tried and failed. Yet Dalila is convinced, even to the point of being obsessed, that by slowly dragging the Imperium down rather than facing it on the battlefield, mankind's captor can finally be destroyed. It may take millennia, but she is patient, and more than willing to wait. Another one of Dalila's traits is her strong atheist beliefs, as she openly scorns religion of any kind, whether it be worship of the Ruinous Powers or the "God-Emperor" of Mankind. To her religion is mankind's ultimate failing, for as long as the humanity uses a deities' will as an excuse, their race will always remain in the Dark Ages. As for the Archenemy, Dalila agrees that Chaos is by far one of man's most dangerous threats and must be destroyed wherever it appears, mirroring the beliefs of her former Hereticus brethren. This is also why she does not approve of the goals and methods of the Vitores' Spiritus Branch, particularly the goals of her colleague Edrith Cambion, as she believes that no good will come of trifling with the powers of the Warp. But despite her otherwise zealous demeanor and radical beliefs, Dalila is usually quite composed and calm, with a cunning mind that constantly plots and plans ahead. She feels that one can never be to careful in her line of work, and thus prefers to have contingencies in place in case her plans go wrong. One might call this behavior paranoid, but those who do are usually made to look quite foolish when one of Dalila's backup plans pay off in the end. Appearance Dalila is a slim yet muscular woman, with a physique akin of that of a gymnast or a professional athlete. Her features are somewhat striking with a healthy complexion, angular features, and dark hair that she usually keeps tied back in a simple braid. One might call her attractive if one discounts the scars that run down the left side of her face through her empty eye socket, which is occupied by a red-lensed bionic eyeball. Despite being over 200 years old, Dalila can fight as if she were in her prime, thanks to juvenat treatments and bionic augmentation of her muscles and bones. But, she looks nothing like she did when she was an Inquisitor, as she underwent surgery after faking her death, adopting the persona of the mysterious '''Imperator'. Most of the time Dalila dresses simply, wearing lightweight flak armor under a hooded stormcoat lacking in any markings or insignia. She is also always seen wearing two large rings, one on each index finger, which at first seem unremarkable but in fact contain Jokaero-made digi-technology. Abilities and Traits If there is one thing Dalila excels at, it is maintaining a persona of anonymity. No one outside of the Tenebrous ones themselves know the true identity of the Magister, and Dalila would prefer to keep it that way. As a backup plan, Dalila has brainwashed several members of the Vitores Tenebras through a combination of hypnotherapy and her own telepathic abilities, making them believe that them themselves are the Imperator, and as a result these doubles attracted the blades and bullets of would-be assassins while Dalila remains perfectly safe. In fact, the Magister has been confirmed dead by the Officio Assassinorum no less than five times, and yet he (or she) always seems to rise again, leading to the false rumor that the Magister is an immortal being, a rumor that Dalila finds very amusing. Dalila has also perfected a form of psychic hypnosis that implants a mental suggestion within the minds of her victims, making them her agents without them ever knowing, as they are unwittingly serving the goals of the Vitores Tenebras. The only downside is that this technique requires large amounts of time and concentration on her part, and leaves Dalila thoroughly exausted afterwards. Dalila controls the Animus Branch of the Vitores Branch, and thus has complete control over one of the largest networks of spies, saboteurs, and assassins outside of the Imperium. With these resources at her disposal Dalila attacks the hated Imperium from the shadows, feeding information to the Imperium's enemies, sabotaging their war efforts, and if assassinating important figures such as Imperial Guard Generals and Ecclisiarchy Cardinals. As a Tenebrous One, Dalila also commands the Gladius force of her Branch, and can call upon the support of highly trained and well equiped warriors, although this rarely is nessecary as Dalila prefers to take more of a hands-off approach when dealing with her enemies. But if a direct approach is needed, Dalila is certainly a formidable opponent. While skilled in many forms of combat, Dalila prefers to kill her enemies from a distance, and she is an expert shot. As a powerful Telepath, she can read her enemies minds with ease, anticipating their every move before they can act, or Dalila can simply fry their brains inside their skulls if she wants to take a more direct approach. She is also capable of dominating her opponent's mind, forcing them to attack their allies, although this power takes a high amount of concentration. Finally, thanks to her bionic augmentations Dalila can go toe-to-toe with a Space Marine, although she rarely tries to engage in close-quarters combat unless she has no other choice. However despite these abilities and advantages she rarely engages an enemy alone, usually accompanied by a bodyguard of Gladius warriors, to serve as protection or simply as a convenient meatshields. She also will flee at the first opportunity if the battle goes poorly for her, not out of cowardice but rather simply because she knows there are some fights she cannot win. Equipment "Mauler" Bolt Pistol Uniquely tailored to Dalila's biometrics, this rare and powerful Bolt Pistol is by far her most favored sidearm. Thanks to its extensive modifications this powerful weapon packs the same range and destructive power as a Space Marine's Bolter, all while being compact and balanced enough for Dalila to wield in one hand easily. Dalila originally had this Bolt Pistol specially commissioned from the Cinder Crag Forge during her days as a Inquisitor, and since then it has served her well. It can also fire specialized ammunition, and Dalila often carries several Kraken and Metal Storm rounds on her person, just in case. Inferno Pistol The favored weapon of Dalila's mentor, the late Lord Inqusitor Bardac Rull, which she took off of his still-warm corpse. While as an Inferno Pistol it is only useful at close range, and suffers from limited ammunition, the pistol still makes up for it's defects with it's raw killing power. A single blast from the sidearm can stop a Space Marine in Terminator Armor or burn a hole through the armor of a Land Raider. Typically Dalila uses her Inferno Pistol in conjunction with her Bolt Pistol, wielding one pistol in each hand. While she fires at far-away targets, her Inferno Pistol vaporizes anyone who dares get to close. Force Rod Dalila detests melee combat, but if forced to engage in close quarters she relies on her Force Rod. This strange devise hardly seems threatening at first, a jet black baton-like weapon, roughly the length of a man's forearm and ending in a leather handgrip. But despite it's unassuming appearance, the Force Rod is in fact a deadly xenos weapon which Dalila can channel psychic energy into, allowing a single blow from the rod to pulp flesh and shatter bone. Dalila can also use the psychic energy stored in the Force Rod as a reservoir of sorts, from which she can draw power to rejuvenate he psychic abilities. Digi-Rings Dalila wears two rings at all times, one on her left index finger and one on her right. While at first glance they seem harmless enough, both rings are in fact Jokaero-made digital devices: one containing a minature conversion field generator, and the other containing a miniature teleporter. *'Black Ring '- On her right index finger Dalila wears a ring made of an unknown black metal, set with a round chunk of white marble. When the marble pommel is pressed, the conversion field built inside of the ring surrounds Dalila in a moderately powerful gravitic shield, protecting her from most attacks. However, the shield can be breached by a powerful attack, and is absolutely useless against psychic attacks. *'White Ring '- On her left index finger Dalila wears a ring made out of a strange whitish metal, set with a round chunk of obsidian. When the obsidian pommel is pressed, the digi-circutry inside the ring hones in on the nearest Vitores teleportaion beacon (usually on an escape craft of some kind), and teleports her to it's location. Dalila uses this ring as a means of quickly escaping her enemies. However, the ring must recharge for a lengthy period before it is used again, and it cannot be used while the Black Ring's conversion field is active. Flak Armor Ever paranoid, Dalila almost always wears a suit of flak armor as a means of protection against potential attacks. While definitely more durable than standard Imperial Flak Armor, Dalila's armor can only take so many hits before it is pierced by a well-placed blow or shot. Relations Feel free to add your own! Edrith Cambion Although she begrudgingly admits that his studies have furthered the goals of the Vitores Tenebras, Dalila still does not trust Edrith Cambion for a second, nor his research. Dalila is firmly convinced that the Ruinous Powers are not something that can be controlled, but rather must be eliminated if Humanity is to flourish once more. Thus she is highly suspicious of the former Xanthite Inquisitor, and closely monitors not just Cambion, but the entire Spiritus Branch of the Vitores Tenebras, out of a fear that their dabbling in the powers of the Warp may one day lead to a catastrophe. Balthazar Lykvander The former Ordo Xenos Inquisitor is perhaps one of the few people Dalila actually respects, as Lykvander's goals closely mirror her own, mainly the advancement of Humanity. She sees the embrace of xenos technology as one of the many things that mankind will need to accept if their species is to survive, seeing as the level of technological stagnation within the Imperium is beyond repair. Balthazar's Corpus branch has even provided Dalila with some of her personal weaponry, including her Force Rod and twin Digi-Rings. Greyon Autaris Greyon is not the kind of man prone to hold a grudge, but the mysterious "Masgister" is beating Greyon as his own game, and that is something he simply cannot stomach. What baffles him the most is that he has authorized five consecutive assassinations targeting the figure, and each time the Magister was reported to have been killed. Yet days later the figure reemerges as if nothing had happened. However, painstaking surveillance has confirmed that the Imperator is a psyker of some kind, and thus Greyon has sent a certain Culexus Assassin to make sure that this time, the Magister stays dead... 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